be more thrifty

I wanted to include this in my resolutions this year for so many reasons.  First, to save money.  I have become a lot more aware of my spending habbits over the last few years, and I am tired of spending ridiculous amounts of money on things we don't love or use often.  I feel like holidays, for one, have gotten completely out of hand.  These kids (and us) are becoming so spoiled, ending up with mountains of generic stuff that we don't even appreciate.  I can't help but wonder how harmful this will be in the long run for our family.  I'm really begenning to rethink gifts, and want to start making them really unique and thoughtful.  Another reason to become more thrifty is that it is so much fun.  It's always neat to go into a thrift store with an open mind, and see what's available.  Once I got a fantastic olive green velvet vintage couch for $30!  Incredible.  And if you know how to alter clothing, this can be a great way to find vintage fabrics, and borrow pretty details from clothes that aren't quite right.  Also, thrifting is so eco friendly.  Forget all the packaging and polution!  It's a win win win....yay!